Smark & Friends

Feels like awhile since we did a watchalong, huh? Well, we have a great guest to get back into the swing of things. Erica Taddeo is a stand-up comedian out of our fine city and has been named one of the rising stars of comedy by The Comedy Nest. She's also a staple on a monthly geek war game show called BattleCOM which was originally a stage show, but pivoted online early in the pandemic, allowing everyone to join in on the interactive fun! We talk shop, we get nostalgic, and we watch Benjamin Tull wrestle Space Monkey out of Greektown Wrestling.Follow us on Twitter @smarkandfriends, on Instagram @smark.mouth, and Like Two Finger Guns Club on Facebook. Like what you hear? Drop us some stars at ratethispodcast.com/smarkandfriends.

Coming soon to the film festival circuit; Out In The Ring! This documentary film explores the growing prominence of LGBTQ+ culture in the wrestling industry and it's often under-discussed history. We're joined by filmmakers Ry Levey and Brad Webb to discuss the making of the film, how changes in the wrestling and global landscape shifted the focus of the film, and tragic tales of what's on the cutting room floor. Follow us on Twitter @smarkandfriends, follow Zak on Instagram @smark.mouth, and Like Two Finger Guns Club on Facebook. Like what you hear? Drop us some stars at ratethispodcast.com/smarkandfriends.

One of the motivators behind creating new formats of our podcast is so we can invite rad return guests like Time Warp Radio! It's always an absolute blast recording with Katie and Hayley and our next episode is no different. They recently wrapped up Time Warp Radio, a minute-by-minute deep dive into Rocky Horror, and are now moving on to a new minute-by-minute podcast analyzing Rocky's sequel/equal Shock Treatment in a cleverly titled podcast ShockTreatMinute. We're talking the new podcast as well as it's source inspiration, all before moving on to a film review of Death From Above, the 2012 film starring Kurt Angle, James Storm, Psycho Sid, and Anti-Flag. Yes, you read all that correctly! Follow ShockTreatMinute wherever you get your podcasts so you're ready the moment it goes live! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @smarkandfriends, and Like Two Finger Guns Club on Facebook. Like what you hear? Drop us some stars at ratethispodcast.com/smarkandfriends.

Rap artist, YouTube personality, producer, Smash Wrestling Champion - you won't find many resumes like that of The Kevin Bennett! Kevin's talent for rap and wrestling come in equal measures have lead to rapid growth of his YouTube channel, fast approaching 15K subscribers. His Insane Pokemon Rap Song went viral and opened some very unique doors for him in the nerdcore rap scene. We talk about all of this, how wrestling influences his rap, how rap influences wrestling and so much more!  Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @smarkandfriends, and Like Two Finger Guns Club on Facebook. Like what you hear? Drop us some stars at ratethispodcast.com/smarkandfriends.

Reviewing a movie about homicidal denim jeans. Yes you read that correctly! Pro Wrestling Eve Champion and reputable horror buff Rhia O'Reilly joins the show for an in-depth review of the horror comedy Slaxx. You can consider this episode an unofficial sequel to a past episode, when we had Slaxx filmmakers on to watch a Rhia O'Reilly match! Please be advised that this review is chock-full of spoilers so please enjoy Slaxx on Shudder, Apple TV or Google Play before listening to this podcast. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @smarkandfriends, and Like Two Finger Guns Club on Facebook. Like what you hear? Drop us some stars at ratethispodcast.com/smarkandfriends.

We'd like you to meet a very talented musician whose music is growing more and more intertwined with the wrestling industry. His songs have been featured in All Elite Wrestling as the score for hype videos for huge rivalries. Most recently, the single Not Afraid to Die was featured as the theme for the match between Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin at Full Gear this past fall. Ian Abel of the Ian Abel Band joins me on today’s podcast. We’re talking rock music, pro wrestling, how he got connected to AEW and all that good stuff. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @smarkandfriends, and Like Two Finger Guns Club on Facebook. Like what you hear? Drop us some stars at ratethispodcast.com/smarkandfriends

If you've ever stepped on a Lego block, be ready to cringe! We are joined by Michael Mongiardi in this latest episode. Michael is one of the co-founders of The Sonar Network, a network of podcasts based out of the Toronto area. Sonar's podcasts range from critically acclaimed to award winning, and by sheer volume of content they produce they quite literally have something for everyone! Michael's own podcast "That's How I Remember It", which features himself and other improvisors telling the story of fan-favourite films, has won 7 Canadian Podcast awards and has been voted one of the top Toronto Podcasts by blogTO, The Comedy Network Online and more! Visit thesonarnetwork.com to explore their amazing library of podcasts. Now, about the Lego - ever seen a Lego Deathmatch? Neither have we, so we're watching one from Fighting Spirit Pro between Adam Bueller and JJ King! Not for the faint of heart! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @smarkandfriends, and Like Two Finger Guns Club on Facebook. Like what you hear? Drop us some stars at ratethispodcast.com/smarkandfriends .

Balancing wrestling and pursuing your master's degree - no sweat for The Golden Child. One of the must-see talents of the Alberta wrestling scene Kayla Jaye joins the show. We're talking life on the western Canadian indie wrestling scene, as well as her current academic endeavors working towards her degree in psychology. What drives Kayla to be a despicable villain in the ring but strive to help others on outside of the ring? This and more in this episode! Follow Kayla on Instagram and Twitter @kaylaajaye. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @smarkandfriends, and Like Two Finger Guns Club on Facebook. Like what you hear? Drop us some stars at ratethispodcast.com/smarkandfriends

In a perfect world, this podcast would be scratch n' sniff. Only then would you get a true sense of the amazing work done by Chris Pilkington at Main Event Candles. Chris has been crafting scented candles inspired by pro-wrestling. Be it a beer & leather scented candle called 'Hell Yeah'' or a Lavender & Chamomile candle that will leave you feeling 'Tranquilo', Chris has been creative in both namesakes and craftsmanship. We also happened to catch him at the perfect time, as he dropped HUGE NEWS this week (All Elite Wrestling fans, you gotta listen)! Shop candles for the wrestling fan in your life at https://maineventcandles.com/ Follow @smarkandfriends on Twitter and Instagram, Like the Two Finger Guns Club on Facebook, and leave a kind word at ratethispodcast.com/smarkandfriends

How about a little pod-on-pod action? Zak welcomes Love Wrestling founder Spencer Love and professional wrestler Chris Perish to the show. Together, Perish and Spencer have put together a new podcast which will serve as a cornerstone to Love Wrestling! We talk all about this awesome project - which we are refraining from saying it's title and let them do the honours - but we also gab about how lovewrestling.ca came together, as well as Perish's career in the western Canadian Wrestling scene. We'll say this much; don't believe everything you read on cagematch.net. Follow @smarkandfriends on Twitter and Instagram, Like the Two Finger Guns Club on Facebook, and drop a leave a kind word at ratethispodcast.com/smarkandfriends